If you’re new to shopping for , it’s easy to get confused thanks to all the different types of local and online companies offering insurance in Oviedo.
You should make it a habit to do rate comparisons quite often because rates tend to go up over time. If you had the best rate two years ago there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the fastest and easiest way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.
If you have insurance now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these techniques to find the best rates and possibly find even better coverage. Finding more affordable car insurance coverage in Oviedo is simple if you know the tricks. Florida drivers just need to know the proper methods to compare rates over the internet.
Shopping for lower car insurance rates can be challenging if you don’t know the easiest way. You could spend the better part of a day talking about coverages with agents in Oviedo, or you can utilize online quoting to get prices fast.
The majority of car insurance companies belong to an insurance system where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and every company returns a rated price based on the submitted data. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions to every company.
To enter your information into the quoting system, click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to doing it this way is you cannot specify which companies to get pricing from. If you would rather choose individual companies to request quotes from, we put together a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Florida. Click here to view list.
Whichever method you choose, be certain you are entering apples-to-apples quote data for each comparison quote. If you use different liability limits it will be next to impossible to find the best deal in Oviedo.
Florida car insurance discounts
Some providers don’t always publicize all disounts very well, so we took the time to find some of the more common as well as some of the hidden credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% on medical payment and PIP coverage.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Oviedo drivers who stay claim-free pay less as opposed to frequent claim filers.
- Discount for Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down can qualify you for cheaper car insurancerates.
- Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying in monthly installments you can avoid the installment charge.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying a policy with multiple cars or trucks on one policy can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts of 20 to 30 percent.
It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.
The best car insurance companies and some of the discounts are outlined below.
- Geico may include discounts for defensive driver, military active duty, federal employee, emergency military deployment, air bags, multi-policy, and seat belt use.
- Travelers may have discounts that include good student, home ownership, driver training, new car, IntelliDrive, and multi-car.
- Farm Bureau offers discounts including multi-policy, good student, 55 and retired, safe driver, youthful driver, driver training, and renewal discount.
- Liberty Mutual may offer discounts for preferred payment discount, good student, new move discount, hybrid vehicle, and newly retired.
- American Family includes discounts for TimeAway discount, good student, multi-vehicle, mySafetyValet, Steer into Savings, and bundled insurance.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and online signing.
If you want , ask each company or agent how you can save money. Some discounts might not be available to policyholders in your area. To choose car insurance companies offering car insurance discounts in Florida, follow this link.
Get rate quotes but work with a local Oviedo insurance agency
A small number of people just want to sit down and talk to an agent and doing that can be a smart decision Professional agents are trained risk managers and help file insurance claims. One of the benefits of getting free rate quotes online is the fact that drivers can get cheap car insurance rates and still have a local agent.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this short form, your insurance coverage information is sent to insurance agents in Oviedo who want to provide quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. There is no need to leave your computer since price quotes are sent directly to you. If you wish to compare rates from a specific company, feel free to go to their quote page and give them your coverage information.
Finding the right company requires more thought than just a cheap quote. You should also get answers to these questions.
- Do they reduce claim amounts on high mileage vehicles?
- Does the agent help file claims?
- Which family members are covered?
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
- Do you work with a CSR or direct with the agent?
- What is their Better Business Bureau rating?
- Can you use your own choice of collision repair facility?
If you wish to get more information on agents near you, link to this full listing of Oviedo, FL insurance agents.
Smaller companies may have the best rates
Consumers in Florida can’t get away from ads that claim the lowest premium rates from the likes of Geico, State Farm and Progressive. All the ads advertise claims about savings if you change to their company.
How does every company make the same claim? This is how they do it.
Insurance providers have specific criteria for the right customer that will generate a profit. One example of a profitable customer should be between 25 and 40, carries high limits, and has a short commute. Any person who matches those parameters receive the lowest rate quotes and will also save if they switch.
Insureds who may not quite match this stringent profile will be quoted higher rates and ends up with business going elsewhere. If you listen to the ad wording, they say “customers that switch” not “all people who quote” save that much. That’s why companies can truthfully make it sound like they have such great rates. This really drives home the point why it is so important to get as many as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.
Car insurance coverage basics
Having a good grasp of car insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – This covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like vandalism, damage from flooding, hitting a deer and hail damage. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as hitting a parking meter, crashing into a ditch, sustaining damage from a pot hole, colliding with a tree and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Liability car insurance – Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other people or property by causing an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see policy limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability can pay for things such as medical expenses, structural damage, legal defense fees and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible. Florida requires minimum liability limits of 10,000/20,000/10,000 but you should consider buying more coverage.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many Florida drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (10/20/10), their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea.
Insurance for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses like EMT expenses, surgery and nursing services. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Do the work, save more money
The cheapest car insurance is possible on the web in addition to many Oviedo insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who may not have the ability to get a quote online and usually these regional insurance providers only sell through independent agents.
We covered a lot of techniques to lower your car insurance premium rates. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding . Drivers may discover the lowest premium rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies.
While you’re price shopping online, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price and still be able to protect your assets.
Additional detailed information can be read at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website. Florida drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.